Whole Lotta Living
by Phoebe Dynamite
Summary: [13 Going on 30How To Lose... crossover] After Jenna and Andie meet, a friendship blossoms. But when Andie and her beau move in with a suddenly expecting Jenna and her hubby, all four find life sometimes requires a whole lotta living.
1. Prolgue: The Meeting

- - - - -   
  
Jenna called it pure luck, destiny, fate. She said it was meant to happen. Or else it wouldn't have. It just wouldn't have.  
  
Andie had a slightly different outlook on it. She called it coincidence. It had to be. Something as silly as two strangers running (and literally running) into each other on the sidewalk, thinking a cab on the corner of 5th and 12th had stopped for both of them couldn't have possibly been decided up in the heavens. That was just ridiculous.  
  
That was a weird way to meet your new best friend, but that's how Andie Anderson and Jenna Flamhaff did it that "fateful" spring day in Manhattan. That's how this story begins, right after both of their separate stories ended.  
  
Andie lived on the corner of 5th and 12th in a big brownstone apartment building. It was a really nice place to live, and Andie really liked it, but today was moving day. Today she was moving into her fiancé's apartment. His name was Benjamin Barry, and he was the absolute love of her life.  
  
Jenna didn't live in the city; she lived outside the city in the Burbs with the love of her life, Matt. There was a time where she felt like she lived in Manhattan, but Matt and Jenna loved the three weeks they had so far spent in their new little house.  
  
It was a little before one in the afternoon when both Jenna and Andie stepped onto the sidewalk and began to scoured the street for a taxi. Andie was leaving her apartment for the last time; Jenna was in New York on a shopping trip for Matt's birthday.  
  
A yellow taxi went by as slowly as New York taxis can possibly go. Both Andie and Jenna gave a loud whistle and ran for the halted cab.  
  
Then either fate stepped in or a coincidence occurred, but at that moment. . .  
  
SMACK!  
  
Andie and Jenna collided and fell onto the pavement.  
  
The Brooklyn-accented cab driver stuck his head out the window. "Youse two broads okay?"  
  
Jenna got off the ground faster and mumbled, "Oh yea. I'm fine," as she brushed off her skirt. Then she saw Andie on the ground under Jenna's mountain of Bloomindales's shopping bags and rushed to help her up.  
  
"Oh my goodness! I am SO sorry about this!" Jenna pulled a flustered Andie to her feet and bent down to pick up her Prada bag and all its contents that had gone askew.  
  
"Oh, that's fine," said Andie when she realized what happened. She dropped to her knees to help Jenna. "I didn't even see you coming."  
  
Jenna giggled and looked up at this stranger. She immediately recognized her face.  
  
"Wow!" she said in astonishment. "I know you! You're Andie Anderson, the How-To Girl from 'Composure' magazine!" She handed Andie her purse, everything back inside, as they stood up.  
  
Andie gave Jenna a flattered smile. "Actually, it's former How-To Girl," she said, pushing her light blonde hair out of her face.  
  
"Well, Andie it's an honor to meet you," Jenna said happily. She stuck out her hand. "I'm Jenna Flamhaff. I'm a journalist."  
  
Andie shook her hand. "Really? Where do you work?"  
  
Jenna looked down and pretended to search her shopping bag for any missing items. "Um, well I'm looking for work at the moment."  
  
Andie picked up a Jenna's purse and handed it to her. "Yea, unemployment sucks. Believe me, I know the feeling."  
  
Jenna looked at the blonde in disbelief. "You are out of work?"  
  
"Sadly," Andie replied, "but I'm okay. After I get married in a couple of weeks, I have an interview with 'New York' magazine, so I'm crossing my fingers." She did the gesture.  
  
"Ay, one of you girls gettin' in da cab?" said the driver. "I'm letting someone else in or else."  
  
Andie looked at her watch. "You take it," she offered Jenna. "I'll just get another one."  
  
Jenna shook her head. "No, no, you take it."  
  
Andie shook her head right back. "No, I'm fine."  
  
"One of you get in, please," the driver said impatiently.  
  
"Why don't we share?" they said in unison. They laughed and both slid into the cab, making sure that nothing was forgotten.  
  
That was the start of a beautiful and unique friendship.  
  
  
  
Like it? Does it suck? Hope not. Oh well. Not proofread. Didn't have time. Much love to reviewers.  
  
Keep it Heavenly,  
  
( Goddess4LiFe 


	2. Matt and Jenna

- - - _Broke into the old apartment This is where we used to live Broken glass, broke and hungry, Broken hearts and broken bones This is were we used to live_ - - -  
  
- - - ONE: matt & jenna - - -  
  
Jenna ran down the stairs in her flannel pajamas, silk bathroom, and piggy slippers, tripping down three steps while her brown hair, thrown into a messy bun, blocked her vision. The unsteady white railing was her only support.  
  
The doorbell of her house rang several times. The visitor even knocked on the door.  
  
"I'm coming!" Jenna shouted as she reached the bottom of the stairs. "For goodness' sake, I'm coming!" She clumsily slipped on her newly redone tile floor right on her butt. The ringing and knocking continued.  
  
"Ow! Ugggh, I'm coming!" She picked herself up, rubbing the sore area, and opened the front door.  
  
"Oh my gosh!" the visitor squeaked, running into the Flamhaff house, almost knocking the homeowner over. "Jenna, you are NOT going to believe this."  
  
Jenna closed the door and turned to the hyper person. "Please tell me it's earth-shattering because I went through hell getting here."  
  
The visitor, Karin Miderick, a slightly bigger redhead reporter for the New York Post, practically broke her Jimmy Choo heels containing her excitement. She bounced up and down. Jenna just stared at her (A/N: for this character, picture Sara Rue).  
  
"Jen, I have the BEST news ever in the entire universe!" She poked Jenna with a paper she was holding in her hand. "And it has to do with you!" she added in a sing-song voice.  
  
"What?" Jenna asked, partially annoyed. She couldn't _really_ be upset with her old NYU roommate. She just stood there while Karin practically began shooting sparks in front of her. Then it dawned on her.  
  
"Oh my gosh, Kar," she exclaimed, grabbing her best friend's arms, "did I get the job at the Post?" She held her breath.  
  
Karin's face fell slightly but her grin remained. "Well... no."  
  
Jenna slumped over and let go of her friend. "No?"  
  
"Well, here's the thing," Karin said. "The guy who writes for the obits, Dean something-or-other, convinced the editor to promote him after showing him this seriously long, suck-up, non-requested obituary for Ronald Reagan that he loved."  
  
"Dammit," Jenna scoffed, slamming her foot down on the floor.  
  
"Hold it a second," Karin said, holding up the paper. "I still have good news."  
  
Jenna rolled her eyes and began moving into her still partially unfurnished living room. "What?"  
  
"Well," Karin began as she followed Jenna into the room and sat down on the couch, "I heard that they're trying to start up a magazine deep in the heart of New York City and that they're looking for fresh meat to write for them."  
  
"Really?" Jenna asked, a bit more hopeful. She sat down beside her friend. "What's the magazine about?"  
  
Karin made a face. "Golf. But you could still do it. I mean golf's not that hard to write about. The guy just hits the ball and they measure how far it went and everyone holds their breath when he gets it on the green so all you write is, "Anxiety mounted," say he got it in under par, compare him to Tiger Woods, and there you go. No big."  
  
Jenna laughed. "Sounds great, but I don't think that's for me."  
  
"Why not? My lazy ass husband can play it so you can write about it."  
  
"But it's not what I was looking for." Jenna rubbed her friend's arm. "Thanks for trying, though."  
  
Karin was down-trotted, but she gave her friend a little smile. "No problem. Anything for you."  
  
"Thanks, Kar." The two hugged and a second later, Karin was gone and an exhausted Jenna rushed into the bathroom. And so the vomiting began. She had been tossing her cookies the past two mornings. She had been taking medicine but nothing was working. And had been craving McDonald's recently, which might have also been a cause considering she wasn't exactly prone to beef.  
  
The front door opened while she was still in the bathroom. "Jenny bean! I'm home!" Matt Flamhaff called out through his new house.  
  
Jenna emerged from the bathroom, looking ghastly. "Hi baby." She kissed her husband and floated into the kitchen.  
  
"Hun, you don't look so good," Matt said, following her into the small room.  
  
Jenna fished through cabinets for Advil. "It's nothing really," she assured him.  
  
"You sure?" he asked, wrapping his arms around her from behind.  
  
"Uh-huh," she said, kissing his hand. "I'm not stuffed up so it can't be a cold. It's just my stomach."  
  
"Well, good," he whispered affectionately in her ear. "I don't want to catch anything, especially with a new job and all."  
  
Jenna spun around and gasped. "Mattie! You got the job?"  
  
Matt was beaming. "I got the job!"  
  
The two embraced. That was the best new Jenna had gotten all week. It was also the most exciting thing that happened since she bumped into Andie Anderson a few days ago.  
  
"So," Matt said, pulling away, "did you hear anything about the job at the Post?"  
  
"Um, Karin was just here a minute ago..."  
  
Matt shook his head excitedly. "And..."  
  
"And I didn't get it." Jenna bit her lip. "But that's okay. They'll be other offers." She smiled as best she could. "But let's celebrate you now instead of mourning me."  
  
Matt looked a bit unsure, but he still grinned at his wife. "Alright, alright. Hey, I got you a present."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Our faves," Matt exclaimed, pulling a bag of Razzles out of his pocket.  
  
"Yes!" Jenna shouted, taking the Razzles and kissing his cheek. They went into the living room to share them, and Jenna decided not to tell Matt about the gold magazine offer just yet.  
  
Little did she know that very soon, a much bigger offer and a much bigger reason to celebrate were right around the corner.  
  
- - - _Why did you paint the walls? Why did you clean the floor? Why did you plaster over That whole I punched in the wall? This is where we used to live_ - - -  
  
  
  
Song: "The Old Apartment" by Barenaked Ladies Hey, sorry that this chapter was short and really sucked, but I started out writing it with a lot of time and patience and it was the opposite after. Also, if you've seen the movie "Serendipity", you know who Dean is. There will be "cameos" from characters in other New York-based films in this story (which I hope doesn't suck too _bad_).  
  
Keep it Heavenly,  
  
( Goddess4LiFe


End file.
